Osteomyelitis is the second most common invasive childhood infection that requires hospitalization; nevertheless, its pathogenesis is poorly understood. Staphylococcus aureus is an ever-present pathogen for both children and adults. Although skin and soft tissue infections are the most common reason for treatment, invasive disease due to S. aureus is also on the rise: sepsis, pneumonia, osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, brain abscess. Osteomyelitis accounts for a substantial number of cases of invasive S. aureus disease. Osteomyelitis is thought to occur when S. aureus or other bacteria enter the skin, invade the bloodstream, and are carried to the metaphysis of a long bone. Most children present with infection in a single bone and improve quickly with 7-10 days of intravenous antibiotics and another 2-3 weeks of oral therapy. Despite encompassing knowledge of the organism and its virulence factors, very little is known about host susceptibility to S. aureus. 
As such, there is a need for compositions and methods for detection of individuals susceptible to S. aureus, such that appropriate treatment may be administered. The instant disclosure seeks to address one or more of these needs in the art.